THE COCOA-NUT. 393 



COCOA-NUT Cocos. 



The cocoa-palm is supposed to be a native of the 

 south-east of Asia, and is found wild in some of the 

 small islands off the shores; but it has been intro- 

 duced into almost every part of the tropical regions. 

 Its quality of bearing the neighbourhood of sea water 

 is very favourable to its migrations. There are five 

 species enumerated and described by the botanists; 

 but the most valuable is the cocos nucifera, or cocoa- 

 tree, properly so called. 



Cocoa nut (Cocol nucifera.) 



The nucifera is a very tall tree, the trunk of which 

 is composed of hard and strong fibres, which cross 

 each other like net-work. There are, strictly speaking, 

 no branches; but the leaves are from twelve to four- 

 teen feet long, with a very strong middle rib, to each 

 side of which the sword-shaped leafets are attached. 

 The flowers come out round the top of the trunk, each 

 cluster inclosed in a long spatha or sheath. When 

 these have arrived at maturity, the sheath opens, and 

 the male flowers gradually fall off, leaving the embryo 

 fruit. In a moist and fertile soil the cocoa-palm bears 

 in four years; in a dry region fruit is not produced 



VOL. ii 16 



